Attributes allow you to group properties for reporting. For example, you could set up an attribute called Property Type, with the following options: Office, Industrial, Retail, Multi-Family, Senior Living, and Single-Family. When you run reports, you can then filter by Property Type.
You can also set up more than one attribute -- for example, Property Type and District Manager --- and filter by both.
The following example shows the filter for the Property Comparison report. In the Attributes section, we selected Multi-Family as the Property Type and Larry Hughes as the District Manager.
The report displays properties that match the selected attributes.
Setting Up Attributes
First, you set up attribute groups at the company level. After that, you go to the Property screen and pick an attribute group for the property. Then you can select the attribute values that apply to that property.
To set up an attribute group
Go to Admin > Set Up Attribute Groups. Click Add New.
The Attribute Group Information screen appears.
Enter a Code and a Description. Click Save.
Click the Edit icon for Subgroup1. (Each Subgroup is a placeholder for an actual attribute.)
Enter the attribute name (for example, Property type) and the attribute values (for example, Multi-Family, Single Family Home, and so on.)
Repeat for each attribute you want to include in the group.
Note: When you set up attributes and attribute groups, you will find that there are some attributes already in the system that might not apply to your business. You can ignore them. If they are not part of a group and not assigned to any properties, they will have no effect.
To set up an additional attribute group
When you set up your first group, there are no existing attributes in the system. You add the group, and then you add attributes to it.
When you set up the next group, there are already some attributes in the system. You add the group, and then you can select some of the existing attributes for it, and/or you can add new ones.
In the example shown above, we are adding a second group, and we include some of the attributes we set up for the first group.
To assign attributes to a property
Assigning attributes is a two-step process -- first you assign an attribute group to the property, then you select the attribute values.
Go to the Property screen and open the Defaults tab.
Scroll down to the Attributes section.
Click Set up Attributes.
The Attribute Group screen appears.
Select an Attribute Group for the property and click Save.
Go back to the Defaults tab and scroll down to the Attributes section.
Click the Edit icon and select a value for each attribute.
Click Save when you are done.